Everyone has hopes and dreams. The unfortunate truth is a large majority of people don’t live out their dreams and fall into a life of mediocrity. An even more unfortunate truth is that most people don’t even try – usually related to fears of failure.
But not Vicki Cramer.
She has a knack for business and entrepreneurship and the word “failure” isn’t in her vocabulary.
Vicki has owned several small businesses over the last 15 years. In each business, she built it from the ground up, achieved success and moved on to another venture.
“A friend of mine convinced me years ago to get into sales for a national health club chain. I thrived in it quickly and did very well,” Vicki said. “At some point I asked myself ‘why am I making money for someone else?’. I then went on my own and started my own business.”
Vicki started small by opening a small commercial cleaning company. It wasn’t long before she had an epiphany.
“I didn’t have any real experience in the cleaning industry, but I was confident I could figure it out. And I did.” She continued, “One day as I’m watching my employee go through the motions and executing the system I put in place, that’s when it hit me. Put the right system in place, down from start to finish, and let employees take it from there.”
Vicki’s System
A large part of Vicki’s success wasn’t just a great system, but great leadership.
“My leadership style is rather simple but effective, take care of the employees and they’ll take care of me and my business,” she said.
Vicki later sold the profitable business and wanted to go explore different businesses. A business where so can help people look and feel better, particularly women. She pursued the spray tanning business.
“I’ve always loved spray tanning. It helps me feel and look better. So I wanted to share that experience with others, especially women,” Vicki said.
But like so many other businesses, she was hit hard by covid 19. Spray tanning is a close and personal experience, so the business wasn’t able to reopen as quickly as many other industries. Being the thrifty entrepreneur she is, she came up with an entirely new plan, a practically covid-proof plan.
Vicki Cramer & The Balloon Bar
Vicki reconfigured her storefront business and started The Balloon Bar.
“I went with The Balloon Bar since that is more of an outside thing, and I’m glad I did. It’s been growing steadily and business is good,” Vicki said.
In fact, it’s very good. But she wasn’t yet satisfied. She still had a dream that needed to be fulfilled – working with the Mets.
“I heard Steve Cohen, owner of the Mets doing an interview on the radio. He was talking about setting high goals in life,” Vicki said. “The next day I contacted the Mets organization and spoke with a rep. I told them I wanted to do business with them and set up a balloon display. Later that day, Mr. Cohen’s wife, a fascinating woman herself, called me personally and said, ‘let’s do it!’ It’s a dream come true.”
Vicki was contracted to set up Citifield with balloons for the Mets home opener. Her and her team decorated the VIP area, general areas and all the entrances to the stadium. She has a lasting message for other women out there who have dreams.
“I believe in ‘just going for it.’ If you have a dream, all you need is a workable plan and then go for it. Dreams won’t live themselves out, you have to be the driving force behind it. And if I can do it, anyone can do it.”
Check out The Balloon Bar Facebook page and follow Vicki and The Balloon Bar on Instagram.
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Who is Trudy Jacobson?
Trudy is an entrepreneur and leader. Her path to success and entrepreneurialism started in the trucking industry decades ago. She encountered numerous obstacles in the male-dominated industry- like discrimination. She was even conned out of a lot of money in a fraudulent scheme. Despite all that, Trudy always fought hard and pushed forward. Once she realized she was capable of anything, she went on to start her own company and excelled. Now she empowers other women to do the same and to learn from her experience. Trudy now highlights their stories for the world to see in the Great American Women Series. Trudy wants women everywhere to know they can achieve their goals.